Posted
on March 29, 2015
Barthelemy
Boganda wasn't born in the Central African Republic. As a matter of fact, if he hadn't been born, there might not BE a Central African
Republic!
Born
in 1910 in a part of Africa that was administered by France, Boganda
was part of a family of subsistence farmers, which means that they
only grew enough food and other items for the family and had not
extra crops to sell to others. However, Boganda was adopted and
educated by some Catholic missionaries. He ended up being ordained
the first Catholic priest from that part of Africa (which was called
Obuangui-Chari).
In
1946, after World War II, Boganda went into politics, and he became
the first Oubanguian
elected to the French National Assembly. He fought against racism
and also against the colonial government of his land. And, back at
home, he started a grassroots movement among his people to oppose
French colonialism.
He
left the priesthood, married, and continued to work for equality and
civil rights for black people. In 1958, the French government began
to consider granting independence to most of its African colonies.
Boganda met with the French Prime Minister and hammered out an
agreement to create an independent Central African Republic.
Boganda
didn't live to see his dream become reality!
Boganda
was ruling the newly-autonomous territory as its first Prime
Minister, helping to write a new constitution, which was adopted in
February of 1959. On this date in 1959, just a month later and just
before legislative elections, Boganda boarded a plane to fly from
across the almost-independent nation—but his aircraft exploded in
the air, killing all passengers and crew.
 |
Boganda designed the flag for
the nation he didn't live to see.
This is the first postage stamp
of the new nation.
|
Many
people thought—then and now—that the plane was sabotaged, and one
newspaper in Europe reported that experts had found traces of
explosive in the plane's wreckage. But no commission was ever formed
to investigate the mysterious explosion, and we still don't know what
happened
Needless
to say, the people of the new nation were shocked. There was a huge
outpouring of grief. The Central African Republic did achieve formal
independence from France in August of 1960, but Boganda wasn't able
to lead the new nation, as he had hoped, or even see it.
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